Tater Schuld wrote:
"Stuart Grey" wrote in message
. ..

Okay, I don't know diddly; I've just caught the airplane bug. So, I'm
asking...

......

I note that there was a lot of talk in the newsgroup and some books out on
Amazon.com on using non-certified engines.

How wise is that? The FAA really allows that, huh? If I had a noose in a
tree, and called it an experimental airplane, would the FAA let me fly it?
Probably not if the nose was over a populated area, huh? Just wondering.


supposedly if you can prove its flight characteristics, and prove that the
materials used wont fail under anticipated stresses, yeah, you could fly it.

go to a big airshow and look at some of the nightmares they gave the OK to
fly. amazing. wings made mostly out of sticks 3/8x3/8? CLOTH wings?

Cloth wing worked for the Wright Brothers. But then, there wasn't an FAA
there to stop the WBs from homebuilding. :-) I'm half worried about
building something dangerous, and half worried about building something
safe that I can't convince the govmint to let me fly. :-)

and yes, I think that there are some restrictions on some planes, engines
and otherwise. someone can pipe up that has looked at the rules lately


VW engines are mentioned, I suspect because water cooled engines would be
too heavy for small airplanes, and it would introduce additional cooling
failure modes.


ummm curtis jenny? used a water cooled ford engine.

So, I shouldn't rule out water cooled engines? Maybe I should look for a
totaled Chevy Geo in the junkyard? Maybe there is a size (horsepower)
break at which water cooled makes more sense than air cooled? I'm asking.

but there are benefits to air cooled. less parts, less weight, less failure
modes. you have to be a bit fussier with them though.

The biggest problem seems to be using an automobile crankshaft, which is
designed for pure torque, as the structural member for transmitting the
thrust force to the airplane body.

before there were certified engines for planes, what did you think they
used?

Engines that killed people more often than they should have, I suppose.
What's your opinion? Is the cost of a certified engine worth the risk?